Month: February 2026

By Tanner Kahler

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    RACINE, Wis. (WISN) — She was the last one to escape her family’s burning home.

Sandra Aranda, 21, was still in a coma Thursday two days after a fire ripped through the house near Buchanan and Hamilton streets in Racine.

Her loved ones told 12 News that Aranda made sure her four younger siblings escaped the fire.

Now, she has major swelling in her brain from a lack of oxygen.

“She always took care of her siblings. All of us,” sister Giselle Aranda said. “She wanted to make sure we were OK. She did everything for us and was basically our second mom.”

The family lost everything in the fire and will have to find a new place to live.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Adam Roberts

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    PEA RIDGE, Ark. (KHBS, KHOG) — The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the woman convicted of killing Pea Ridge police officer Kevin Apple won’t get a new trial.

Shawna Cash ran over and killed Apple in 2021. A jury found her guilty of capital murder and sentenced her to life in prison.

Apple was a 23-year veteran of the force. People who knew him have described his sense of humor and the way he spent his life helping people across the community.

Cash’s attorneys filed an appeal claiming the judge in the case admitted two pieces of evidence he shouldn’t have and improperly allowed a prosecutor’s remarks during closing arguments.

An appeals court ruled against Cash. The Arkansas Supreme Court’s opinion agreed with the appeals court.

40/29 News reached out to one of Cash’s attorneys, who said they have no comment on the ruling.

Jail phone call During the trial, prosecutors played a recording of a phone call between Cash and an unidentified person made while Cash was in jail.

Cash described her conversation with one of her attorneys about how she was facing a charge of murder instead of manslaughter. She told the person she was talking with that she was high when she hit Apple.

The Supreme Court ruled that because Cash’s attorneys had asked for that part of the conversation to be played for the jury, she could not complain of it now.

Closing argument In the prosecutor’s closing arguments of the trial, they said that “fleeing from the police is not only a sport for her; it’s a way of life.”

Cash’s appeal argued that it is against trial rules for prosecutors to use prior bad acts in that manner.

The Supreme Court ruled that the prosecutor’s remark was allowed because they had used evidence during the trial of multiple past times Cash fled from police. They had done so to demonstrate she had intended to flee and had deliberately killed Apple.

Stolen key fob During the trial, the judge allowed prosecutors to admit evidence that Cash was once in the passenger seat of a car when the driver tried to run over a woman.

The Supreme Court agreed with the appeal that the judge shouldn’t have allowed that evidence because it wasn’t independently relevant to the case.

However, it found that the judge’s error was harmless and wouldn’t have changed the jury’s verdict.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Meghan Mosley

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    NORMAN, Okla. (KOCO) — Norman city leaders are proposing a billion-dollar entertainment district to address the decline in high-income families, as recent U.S. Census data shows a significant drop in such households.

Lawrence McKinney, CEO of the Cleveland County Economic Development Coalition, highlighted the decrease from about 5,300 high-income families to 3,600 between 2020 and 2024.

“We dropped from about 5,300 high-income families to 3,600,” McKinney said. “What jumps out is that we’re the fourth worst in the country in terms of our drop.”

County leaders believe the new entertainment district could help reverse this trend by attracting higher-paying jobs.

McKinney explained that while Oklahoma cities are interested in retail sales, retail jobs do not pay as well as wealth-producing primary jobs. The new district is seen as an opportunity to bring in higher-paying jobs.

“Cities in Oklahoma are very interested in retail sales, so we attract a lot of retailers. But retail jobs don’t pay as well as wealth-producing jobs, primary jobs, and we’re focused on primary jobs, and this is an opportunity with the new entertainment district to bring higher-paying jobs in,” McKinney said.

The State Supreme Court has approved the construction of the Rock Creek Entertainment District after a lengthy legal battle.

The county anticipates that the district will create approximately 1,800 jobs, including construction jobs, and attract workforce talent, particularly in the 25-44 age group.

“There’s about 1,800 jobs that come with this, including some construction jobs. But what it does is attract talent. And we’re focused on workforce talent, that 25-44 year old age group, and if there’s nothing to do in the community, they don’t stay here,” McKinney said.

The Rock Creek Entertainment District is expected to be completed by 2029.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Madison Perales

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    NEBRASKA (KETV) — Nebraska’s minimum wage is one step away from being lowered for young people; a new cap on rate increases would also be implemented across the board.

The reintroduced bill passed final reading in the Capitol on Thursday and now heads to the governor’s desk.

KETV spoke with small businesses and a young person impacted by the measure.

Census data from 2024 reveals that around 16,000 16- to 19-year-olds in Douglas County are in the workforce.

Legislative bill 258 would lower the minimum wage for 14- and 15-year-olds from the current $15 an hour to $13.50. Sixteen- to 19-year-olds would be paid $13.50 for the first 90 days of training on the job.

“I’ve never seen minimum wage go down. Like, it’s only gone up,” said Debra McKnight, founding paster at Urban Abbey.

State senators in favor of the bill say the legislation will aid small businesses like Urban Abbey.

“Employers will be forced to cut costs by eliminating jobs altogether,” said Sen. Jane Raybould.

The bill would put a cap on minimum wage increases to 1.5%, or a 26-cent increase per year for everyone.

“We want something that is fixed and predictable,” Raybould said.

The measure would also create a $13.50-an-hour minimum wage for young people.

“If we didn’t care about this, we would leave this alone, and people ultimately would lose their jobs,” said Sen. Paul Strommen.

Raybould introduced LB 258 last legislative session, and Strommen prioritized the bill this session.

“Fourteen- and 15-year-olds are not entering the workforce with a resume full of skills, and that’s exactly the point,” Raybould said.

“They’re discouraged to know that what they are contributing isn’t seen as enough,” said Voices for Children’s Anahí Salazar.

Sixteen-year-old retail worker Lillian Twohig would feel the impact if she changed jobs, with her wages dropping to $13.50 an hour for the first 90 days on the job.

“It’s just going to be difficult for people to maybe just get used to it and feel like what they’re doing doesn’t matter as much as other people, which can be frustrating,” Twohig said.

Sen. John Cavanaugh opposed the bill, saying, “The thing we hear is their frustration with this Legislature undermining the will of the people.”

Cavanaugh was referring to the 2022 ballot initiative in which reports show about 60% of Nebraskans voted for a $15 minimum wage for everyone and an adjusted wage increase based on the current economy.

“I do think minimum wage should increase in relationship to the economy instead of a flat percentage,” McKnight said.

The bill still needs to be signed by Gov. Jim Pillen before it becomes law. If signed, it would be implemented 90 days after the legislative session ends.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By KCCI Staff

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    ATLANTIC, Iowa (KCCI) — The Atlantic School District has placed a staff member on administrative leave following allegations of inappropriate communication with a student, as investigations by local authorities continue.

In a statement released Thursday, the district said, “On Sunday, the district received a phone call from a parent raising concerns about a staff member. That same day, district administration placed the staff member on administrative leave to allow the district to conduct an investigation consistent with district policy and best practice.”

The district has chosen not to release the name of the staff member involved and is refraining from further comment due to the ongoing investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Atlantic Police Department.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Lisa Crane

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    MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WVTM) — A law with no consequences if it’s broken. That’s what some Alabama legislators say they’re trying to remedy with a bill moving through the state house.

We first told you about allegations concerning the illegal harvesting of deceased inmates’ organs two years ago when the first lawsuit was filed. On Thursday, several family members met with lawmakers.

Brandon Dotson and Kelvin Moore died behind bars in Alabama prisons. When their bodies were released to their families, they were missing organs.

“We’ve just been destroyed ever since then because we feel like he was mutilated,” said Kelvin’s sister, Simone Moore.

Alabama lawmakers said there is a law already on the books that makes it illegal for a medical examiner to keep a deceased person’s organs without notification to and consent from the next of kin. But it’s a law with no teeth.

Moore added, “It’s nothing short of thievery, but there are no consequences. It’s against the law. It is illegal, but they have no consequences.”

State Rep. Chris England has sponsored a bill to change that. House Bill 71 would make what happened to Dotson and Moore a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $15,000 fine. He said the goal of the bill is to keep this from happening again and to bring transparency to the process and the Department of Corrections, which is already under investigation by the Department of Justice for civil rights violations.

England said, “It’s just another example of Alabama’s failure in our criminal justice system and our Department of Corrections. And I do think you get to a point where it can’t get worse. And then you find out that families are being put through further trauma because organs are being taken from their loved ones after they pass away.”

England said HB71 is out of committee. He expects the bill to pass with bipartisan support.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Brooklyn Joyner

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    JACKSON, Miss. (WAPT) — During her visit to Jackson, Dr. Sharelle Barber viewed the history inside Medgar and Myrlie Evers’ home, a space memorialized by the National Park Service.

She said it’s one of her favorite spots to visit every time she pops into town, often showing the space to friends who never seen it before.

“Particularly for Medgar Evers and all he did for Mississippi, but also for everything he did for American democracy,” Barber said.

The next time she visits, the brochure that gives details of Evers’ life may be edited.

According to the National Parks Conservation Association, the National Parks Service was instructed to remove the word racist when describing Evers’ killer, Byron De La Beckwith, who shot the civil rights leader. While visiting the home, a bullet hole left behind from the fatal shooting is still there.

“To not refer to him as a racist, even though he was a lifelong member of the KKK, he’s a devout white supremacist, and he also shot Medgar Evers in his own home?” asked Alan Spears, a member of the National Parks Conservation Association.

Spears said he is an advocate for all national parks. He does not agree with the potential change, saying it stems from an executive order made by President Donald Trump to “Restore Truth and Sanity to American History.”

In May 2025, Trump said crews would begin reviewing public monuments to ensure they are uplifting and reminding Americans of their extraordinary heritage. Spears said this is a slap in the face to all the hard work Evers did to improve the lives of Black Americans.

“One of the first things he did was to investigate the kidnapping and murder of Emmett Till, and he went on to be a champion for voting rights for African Americans, that’s what cost him his life,” Spears said. “He devoted himself to making those changes happen, and now we want to sanitize and censor the history that’s coming out of the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home in order to make people who like Byron De la Beckwith feel better. It’s about as ridiculous as it gets.”

While visiting the home, 16 WAPT noticed that the brochures had not yet been replaced, but Barber says even if they are, this history will live on.

“There are enough people in Jackson and Mississippi who will continue to tell the truth, even when it gets erased by the federal government,” Barber said.

Angela English, the Rankin County chapter president of the NAACP, said, “Context matters. In places like Mississippi, where African Americans were legally terrorized and silenced, removing civil rights history today echoes that same silencing. You can’t separate current erasure from a long history of segregation, voter suppression, and racial violence.”

The workers at the National Park say they could not comment on this discussion.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Zach Rainey

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    ROYSTON, Ga. (WYFF) — A police officer in Royston, Georgia, is being praised by her colleagues and the community after she put herself in danger to save a woman from a burning building.

Around 2:20 a.m. Wednesday, the Royston Police Department along with the Royston Fire Department were dispatched to a house fire.

Officer Elizabeth Eddy was one of the officers who responded to the call.

When she arrived, Eddy discovered that the flames were coming from a bedroom and that a woman was still inside.

Officials said Eddy entered the burning building with total disregard for her own safety and pulled the woman out of the building.

Firefighter West Bennett arrived as they were exiting and immediately went to assist Eddy and the woman.

Patrolman Josh Fowler wrote in a statement, “Eddy remained inside the burning structure for over a minute while battling the extreme heat, heavy smoke, and other hazards associated with the fire.”

He added, “In my 22 years of law enforcement experience, I have rarely witnessed such an act of bravery. Officer Eddy displayed extraordinary courage and heroism by placing herself in immediate danger to save another person’s life.”

Royston Police Chief Brooks Moorhead praised Eddy by stating, “Elizabeth Eddy went above and beyond her duties placing herself in grave danger to save a Royston resident. We are blessed to have her as a member of this department. She sets the bar high for us all.”

Moorhead recommended Eddy for the Royston Police Department’s “Life-Saving with Valor” award. This is awarded to officers or civilian employees who, with total disregard for their personal safety, saved or attempted to save the life of another.

When recommending Eddy for the award, Moorhead said, “I can’t think of a better example.”

The cause of the fire remains under investigation with the Georgia State Fire Marshals. No other details have been released.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.